A group of elementary-aged students gather outside of Oldham County Public Library in La Grange, Kentucky, United States to look at clouds in the sky. “If anyone asks what you are doing, tell them, ‘I am a citizen scientist and I am helping NASA,’” Children’s Programming Librarian, Cheri Grinnell, tells the kids. Grinnell supports an […]
Category: Citizen Science
NASA Citizen Science Toolkit for Librarians
NASA’s Toolkit for Librarians can help you share NASA citizen science opportunities with your patrons and community members. Rural and urban libraries, informal educators, youth group leaders, and retirement community coordinators can all benefit from this resource. Together, we can open the door for more people to join the fun, learning, and thrill of doing NASA science.
New Citizen Science Proposals Funded in 2025
NASA has selected 10 new citizen science proposals for funding in 2025. These selections provide a preview of what’s coming next for NASA citizen science. Note that these investigations are research grants: some of them will result in new opportunities for the public, while others will analyze or build on results from earlier citizen science projects.
Lettuce Find Healthy Space Food! Citizen Scientists Study Space Salads
Lettuce Find Healthy Space Food! Citizen Scientists Study Space Salads Missions to the Moon and Mars pose nutritional challenges for astronauts. Now, a new paper on space-grown food iMissions to the Moon and Mars pose nutritional challenges for astronauts, but volunteers from NASA’s Open Science Data Repository Analysis Working Groups (OSDR-AWG) are working together to […]
Webinar Series: Teaching with EMERGE & GLOBE Mission Mosquito
Educators, join our free two-part webinar, and learn about bringing coding and citizen science to your learners! The Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program is a science and education program that focuses on advancing Earth systems science through data collection and analysis by citizen scientists. These webinars introduce GLOBE Mission Mosquito—a global program where […]
From NASA Citizen Scientist to Astronaut Training: An Interview with Benedetta Facini
Titans Space Industries, a commercial space company, selected a new cohort of astronaut candidates this spring – and among them is NASA citizen scientist, Benedetta Facini. She has participated in not one, but many NASA citizen science projects: Cloudspotting on Mars, Active Asteroids, Daily Minor Planet, GLOBE, Exoasteroids and International Astronomical Collaboration (IASC). We asked […]
A Gigantic Jet Caught on Camera: A Spritacular Moment for NASA Astronaut Nicole Ayers!
Astronaut Captures Rare Gigantic Jet from Space On July 3, 2025, NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers photographed an extraordinary sight from the International Space Station — a rare gigantic jet, a powerful electrical discharge shooting from the top of a thunderstorm into the upper atmosphere. Often mistaken for sprites, these towering lightning events bridge clouds and space, depositing massive electrical charges. Learn how gigantic jets differ from other Transient Luminous Events and how you can submit your own sightings to Spritacular.org.
Bring NASA Science into Your Library!
Calling all librarians! NASA sponsors dozens of research projects that need help from you and the people in your community. These projects invite everyone who’s interested to collaborate with scientists, investigating mysteries from how star systems form to how our planet sustains life. You can help by making observations with your cell phone or by […]
NASA Citizen Science and Your Career: Stories of Exoplanet Watch Volunteers
Doing NASA Science brings many rewards. But can taking part in NASA citizen science help your career? To find out, we asked participants in NASA’s Exoplanet Watch project about their experiences. In this project, amateur astronomers work together with professionals to track planets around other stars.